Familiarity
by Abboz
Summary: Victoria is relaxing in the garden when the TARDIS appears before her. Happy at the prospect of seeing her friends again, she is distressed to find that Jamie's not with the Doctor, and even more so to learn he has had all his memories of her wiped. Only that's the reason the Doctor came to her, to fix it, and he needs her help; Jamie trusts her.


Victoria sat alone in the garden, sheltered from the sun by a large oak tree and cooled further by the gentle breeze blowing through her hair. She was reading a novel, enjoying the time to relax, having taken the opportunity to slip out of the house and escape from the pressures being placed on her.

She looked up as she felt something disturb the air, wondering if someone was approaching, but then she heard the familiar groaning of a foreign engine. Pushing her book onto the ground, she leapt to her feet just in time to see the TARDIS materialise a little way in front of her. Smile spreading across her face, she walked towards the ship, waiting for the doors to open and her friends to emerge. It made her heart flutter in her chest to think she was about to see her beloved Scotsman again, that Jamie had convinced the Doctor to take them back to her, and long enough to overcome the piloting issues. "Doctor!"

"Hello, Victoria."

She beamed at the Time Lord for a split second before looking over his shoulder. She leant to the side, peering through the open door of the TARDIS and waited. Seconds passed and she didn't move, the Doctor becoming increasingly aware of time progressing, until her expression dropped, leaving no trace on her lips of the smile she'd worn. "Where's Jamie? Is he alright?!"

His frown matched hers. "To a degree."

She quickly met his gaze, her disappointment completely replaced with concern. "How can he be alright to a degree? What's happened? Where is he?"

That was the one thing that had made him hesitate to visit her, her inevitable distress at Jamie's absence that would only increase as he spoke of the Scotsman's current fate. The important thing, which he kept at the forefront of his mind, was that he was there to rectify the situation, right his wrongs and make both of them extremely happy. "Oh, Victoria, my dear, I'm sorry."

"Tell me!" She could feel her eyes beginning to water at the thought of any number of horrible things that could have befallen him. "Please, what happened to Jamie?!"

"He's safe, and unhurt, back in the 18th century, the time he came from."

She watched the Doctor's face for a tell as to what could be the limiting factor in his wellbeing. If she was honest it unnerved her purely that he was no longer travelling with the Doctor, and without ever coming back to visit her; she'd imagined he would have made every effort to see her again, enough so that the Doctor would have mentioned it even if the struggle to control the ship had prevented him from being successful. "Then what's wrong with him?"

"He's had some of his memories wiped, there's now a part of his life he has no idea ever happened."

"But that's terrible! What doesn't he remember?"

"That he ever travelled with me, any of our adventures, the young woman we travelled with after you… _you_."

He thought he could see it in her eyes as her heart broke. "He doesn't remember me? At all?" He tentatively shook his head. "Doctor, why did you come here just to torture me with that?"

"No, Victoria, I didn't! You needed to know, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I know it hurts, but I came to make things right."

She wiped her eyes with the pad of her thumb. "How?"

"I made a mistake. Victoria, when you left us, Jamie was heartbroken, he didn't care where we went, he was miserable because you were gone. When you said you wanted to leave, I should have tried to convince you to stay, or told him to go with you, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."

"Heartbroken?"

He nodded. "And because he stayed with me, I got him into a situation where he never got the chance to come back to you, because he had his memories taken away. He lost a large part of who he'd become, including you. Victoria, will you help me rectify this?"

Her eyes were sparkling with tears but she managed to keep them from falling. "What can I do?"

"Talk to him. I can bring the memories back for him, but even though he remembers meeting me, I don't think he'll trust me on something so important as his mind. But you, what he felt for you, he'd trust you anywhere with anything, and I don't think that goes away; no amount of Time Lord technology or interference takes that away, not with soul mates."

A single tear escaped but she trapped it with her finger before it made its way past her cheek. "And what you'll do won't hurt him?"

"No, no, not at all." He leant a little closer. "In fact I think it will make him very very happy, to have you back in his life. If you want, I think he would love to be with you. All it takes is you explaining the situation to him, keeping him relaxed and making him see the positives of letting me restore those memories."

"I won't make him do anything he doesn't want to."

"And I wouldn't ask you to. What do you say, Victoria? One last adventure, for Jamie, and for your futures."

She nodded. "Of course! I'll try."

"And you will surely be successful."

* * *

In the Highlands, after only a single miscalculation resulting in them landing on Mars, the Doctor found Jamie, and lead him back to the TARDIS to attempt a careful breach of the subject of his lost memories. Knowing it was a difficult issue to address, he opted for the briefest of explanations, certain Victoria would play her part well through the mutual trust she and the Scotsman shared. "Now, Jamie, my boy, there's a lovely young woman here who you won't remember, but she knows you, and she's come to see you. I shan't tell you much more about her, I'm going to let her prove herself, but she cares very much about you."

Victoria stepped out of the ship, appearing from behind the Doctor and smiling tentatively at the Scotsman. "Hello." She felt a little self conscious from the way he was gazing at her, concentration evident on his face and something she equated as a mixture of amazement and the love that had been a familiar feature in his eyes.

The Doctor flicked his gaze between them and then stepped back, well aware that they'd both become oblivious to him. "I'll come back once you've had the chance to speak."

"Jamie?" She resisted reaching out to him, that wouldn't be fair on him when he saw her as a stranger, even when she hoped her touch would still provide comfort. "Jamie, are you alright?"

He stared for a few more seconds. "I recognise you."

Her mouth opened slightly, but she fought to keep only the slightest smile showing on her lips. "You do?"

"Aye."

They stood in silence, eyes fixed on each other, Victoria watching as he wondered what to make of the familiarity. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, I dinnae ken." He didn't like the frown that formed on her face. "It's like my heart knows you but my head doesn't."

She brought her hands up to her face, covering her mouth. "Oh, Jamie!"

He cracked a smile, right in assuming her reaction was a good one, and when she didn't move, he took a step closer. "And my heart, it, it's compelling me to hold you, if that's alright."

Hardly able to move, she nodded, gradually lowering her hands as he closed the remaining space between them to gently wrap her in his arms. Victoria tentatively slipped her arms around his middle. "_Jamie_."

"Who are you? What's your name?"

"Victoria. Victoria Waterfield." She slowly withdrew, reluctant to end the embrace but a little unnerved by the reminder of his lost memories.

"Victoria." He tested her name on his tongue. She nodded, eyes pricking with tears at that familiar sound she'd missed so very much. "And how do I know you? Can you tell me how we met?"

"You went travelling with the Doctor, adventures in his ship, with Ben and Polly; you told me they were like your older siblings. But they went home, and then you met me, I was captured by the Daleks. You saved me, Jamie."

He held her gaze, certain he was infinitely glad he had. A smile touched his lips, but desperate to recall that very moment, his eyes sparkled with tears. "I met you because I travelled with the Doctor? I dinnae remember."

"I know. But if you come with me, to the Doctor's ship, he can restore your memories."

"And then I'll remember you?"

She nodded, holding her breath for a few seconds to try and stop her eyes watering. "You'll remember me, and all the adventures you had. We could be happy, Jamie. Do you trust me? It has to be your choice."

"I do. But what about Kirsty? I care about her, I don't want to just abandon her."

She did her best not to frown, but failed to keep her disappointment from showing. "It's alright, you can stay."

"Oh no, Victoria, I feel in my heart like I want to remember you, it's telling me to go with you. But I want Kirsty to be happy too, I want her to get the man she chose. But I can't have both."

"Maybe you can." The Doctor spoke gently to them, alerting them of his return.

They exchanged a glance and simultaneously looked across to the Time Lord. Victoria was too overrun with emotion to speak, nervous and scared, but still hopeful, fuelled by the love she felt for the Scotsman, so Jamie asked what they both wondered. "How?"

"The way I see it, is that travelling with me changed you, Jamie. Some people aren't changed much by the sort of travel I do, it's not a bad thing either way, only some can return home with their lives hardly changed beyond the new experiences. But with you it had one particular great impact; a Jamie that never travelled with me falls in love with Kirsty McLaren and they marry and have many children and grandchildren, however a Jamie that does travel with me changes, and just like my other companions he sees and learns about things he could never have fathomed before. But importantly, a Jamie that travels with me meets Victoria."

Jamie couldn't help his gaze settling on her, and felt his heart ache at the crease in her brow. "Victoria, it's okay."

The Doctor continued as if his friend had never spoken. "They're both Jamie, but different men. Kirsty wouldn't love the Jamie that travels, but she falls in love with the one that doesn't. Just the same as Victoria wouldn't love the Jamie that never travelled because he'd never meet her, but she fell in love with the one that did."

He weakly smiled as the young woman met his gaze. "But I cannae be both."

"Perhaps you can, with the technology in the TARDIS and a little tinkering. You recognise Victoria, the memory wipe is already beginning to fail. As a Time Lord, Jamie, I could take your timeline and make it diverge, leaving a Jamie here that never knows anything of his travels, and you, another Jamie, who remembers everything."

"Who gets to be with Victoria?"

"If he so chooses."

The Scotsman placed his hand over his heart. "I think he will, I dinnae think there is another choice for him."

"Jamie?" Victoria's voice shook slightly, she forced herself to step back to put a tiny bit more distance between them, finding it increasingly difficult to resist touching him.

"What is it? Are you alright?"

The way he immediately looked her in the eye took her breath away for a second. "You said '_will_'; you said 'he will'."

"Sorry, Victoria, _I_ will. I'm just trying to get my head around it."

"No, you said 'will', does that, does that…?"

The Doctor smiled at the way she couldn't bring herself to ask. "I think she wants to know if that means you're willing to do this, if you're saying you want to have your memories restored, and create that second Jamie too."

Victoria nodded. "You trust me?"

"Aye, I do."

"You trust me with this?"

He beamed. "Aye. That's what I said."

She instinctively grinned back, waiting a moment and then tentatively held her hand out to him. "Then will you come with me, Jamie, into the TARDIS?"

He reached out to take her hand, nodding. "I trust you, Victoria."

* * *

The Doctor gently removed the device circling Jamie's head, carefully hooking his thumbs inside to pull the metal plates away from his temples. "There we go, Jamie, now open your eyes and take a minute to let your mind adjust."

"Do—" His voice sounded pained and he pressed a palm to his forehead. Victoria stood at their side, a lump in her throat and heart pounding so much she thought it would burst out of her chest.

"Don't speak, Jamie. I told you, let your mind adjust, when it clears then you're ready." He gave a hint of a nod, breathing heavy and slightly frantic, while his fingertips rubbed his forehead and then moved to his temple. Just over a minute later his breathing began to slow, the pattern of inhaling and exhaling more even, and he lowered his hand to let it rest at his side.

"Jamie?" Victoria reached out but refrained from touching him, watching and waiting for a reaction.

He turned, meeting her gaze, and within a second took hold of her hand. "Hello." A broad smile spread across his face. "Hello, Victoria."

There was no more confusion in his eyes, only familiarity and affection, and it made her heart rate increase. "It's really you, isn't it?"

"Aye! Who else do you think I'd be?" She gave a slight shake of her head, beaming and breathless. "You are so beautiful. I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

Taking a step closer, he slipped his fingers from hers, raising his hands so they were just centimetres away from her face, as if his palms were cradling her cheeks. "May I?" Timidly, she nodded, and with her consent, he cupped her face and leant closer until their lips met in a tender kiss. When he gently withdrew, he left a growing smile on her lips, a touch of surprise evident in her eyes as she held his gaze. He grinned, dropping his hands to her waist, and arms tight around her, hoisted her off her feet. With her secure in his arms, he spun her round so they faced the opposite way, looking into her eyes until he lowered her back onto the ground and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"_Jamie_."

His hand moved to cradle the back of her head as he held and nuzzled her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She held him tighter, one arm curled up to grip his shoulder, the other round his middle. He smiled, kissing her temple and happy to cuddle her for as long as she wanted.

The Doctor looked at his two friends with pride, that moment and their confessions enough proof that he had done the right thing in bringing her to him. As if reading his thoughts, Jamie looked up at the Time Lord. "Thank you."

He smiled. "I hardly did anything, pressed a few buttons; Victoria, now she did the difficult part."

"Aye, and I'm so grateful." He tightened his hold to tell her that. "But you brought her to me so she could. And you brought me to her so we'd meet."

"I'm just glad you're happy, Jamie. And you, Victoria."

* * *

"Come on, Victoria!" Jamie gripped her hand tighter, pulling her behind him to leave the TARDIS. "We'll end up swept off to another adventure if we're not careful! And to be honest I quite fancy a nice relaxing break, don't you?"

She held on tight, following his lead back out into the garden. "With you, yes. A break, however enticing, loses its charm when it leaves you alone, and faced with the reality of never seeing your loved ones again, losing your soul mate."

"Oh, come here." He cupped her cheek and drew her into him to kiss her forehead. "I've really missed you."

She smiled, then her gaze dropped to her side and she withdrew from him. He watched with mild confusion until she stepped away and crouched down to pick up the book in the grass. "I was having a break when the TARDIS appeared. And thinking of you."

Reaching out to her, he slipped his hand back into hers so their fingers were left intertwined. As she moved back into his side, resting her head against his shoulder, he squeezed her hand, watching her until the Doctor made his way to the doorway, looking out at them. "Well, I should be on my way; goodbye Victoria, goodbye Jamie."

"Goodbye, Doctor."

She'd fallen a little quiet, and sounded rather anxious, so he rubbed her thumb with his. "Aye, goodbye."

"Will we ever see you again?"

The Doctor nodded, doubting he would be on the same regeneration, but perhaps with the next face he had, or one long in the future, but regardless he wished to see his friends again one day, even just to catch a glimpse of the shining future they'd have together. "I certainly hope so."

Jamie smiled at the fondness in his expression. "Be careful, Doctor."

"Oh, I shouldn't worry, my dear boy."

Victoria couldn't help thinking that wouldn't reassure the Scotsman. "Just look after yourself."

"I will, and you look after each other." He glanced back into the TARDIS as the ship bleeped. "Goodbye." With a smile, he turned and walked further into the ship to stand at the console.

She flexed the hand Jamie held, caressing each of his fingers and stroking his skin in a way which made him wonder if it was to remind herself of his presence at her side. "Jamie, before he goes, are you sure? You can go anywhere you like, it's alright, you can still go home."

Turning towards her, he tugged on her hand to pull her round to face him. He lifted his free hand to her cheek. "Victoria, my home is with you now. I told you, there is no other choice for me." He dipped his head down to touch his lips to hers, thumb tracing her jaw. "I only have one request."

"Oh, what's that?"

"We take a holiday in Scotland."

She nodded, leaning into him as she beamed. "_Aye_."


End file.
